EP Review: Parasitic Twins/The Carnival Rejects Split – The Parasitic Rejects (Man Demolish Records)

Just under a year since firing their debut EP “All That’s Left To Do Now Is Sleep With Each Other”, Hull’s scariest kids Parasitic Twins are back with a split EP alongside crust punk mob The Carnival Rejects; “The Parasitic Rejects”.

Caught somewhere between aching low-end doom and histrionic punk rock, the six track EP sees a caustic evolution. A curious inclusion is the lo-fi heavy cover of the 90s classic ‘Spaceman’ by Babylon Zoo, which was released on April 5th.

All proceeds of the sale were donated to The Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM). Drummer Dom Smith had this to say on their relationship with CALM:

“Male mental health is becoming more spotlighted every day, and myself and Max [guitars and vocals] want to offer any support we can to spread the word.”

Blink and you’ll miss it, this split EP is very short with both bands getting 3 tracks each. The Carnival Rejects the odd numbered ones and Parasitic Twins the even numbered ones. While they both have a punk ethos to their music, they apply it in different ways meaning the track jumping does give it a disjointed feel.

The Carnival Rejects side is lighter and more upbeat albeit with a punky raw pace that has the familiarity of very early Offspring or Rancid. Of the three tracks they give us, it’s Disengage that gets the head nodding along the most.

Parasitic Twins are a bit of a different beast in that they’re a little tougher to chew. Adding elements from noise rock and metal into Autopsy and To the Bone, both tracks show off a band willing to push the limits of fuzzed out riffs while delivering a crushing display of heaviness.

Their third track…well, it’s a cover but probably not one you’d expect. Parasitic Twins have a go at turning Babylon Zoo’s Spaceman into a chunky metal track and succeed! Not being a fan of the original, they couldn’t really go wrong by metalling it up. It’s far more interesting and far less jarring.

As splits go, the two bands don’t gel too well together but that’s forgivable when both put out such strong stuff.

Parasitic Twins/The Carnival Rejects – The Parasitic Rejects Full Track Listing:

1. Seize Control (The Carnival Rejects)
2. Autopsy (Parasitic Twins)
3. Disengage (The Carnival Rejects)
4. Feel Nothing (Parasitic Twins)
5. To the Bone (The Carnival Rejects)
6. Spaceman (Parasitic Twins) (Babylon Zoo Cover)

Parasitic Twins’ music can be found over on Bandcamp and more information found via Facebook and Twitter. The Carnival Rejects’ music can be found over on Bandcamp and more information found via Facebook and Twitter.